Prison Riots

Definitions of Prison Riots

Throughout the study of prison riots, experts have developed various definitions describing the elements of a “riot.” The South Carolina Department of Corrections conducted a national study of American Prison Riots between 1900 and 1971. In this unique study, a riot was defined as “an incident involving fifteen or more inmates and resulting in property damage and/or personal injury” (South Carolina Department of Corrections 1973: 23). The results of this research produced consistent statistics, such as numbers of inmates, time of the year, “cause,” property damage, action taken to end the riot, and so forth. The resulting level of uniformity was innovative, and has become a model for many studies, as one of the first federally funded studies of riots. One problem that emerged from the use of this definition was the omission of incidents across the nation that did not meet the “fifteen-inmate” criteria required to be included in the findings. A classic example was the May 2, 1946 “Blast Out,” which occurred at the federal prison of Alcatraz. This was a significant event, as it required military intervention and took forty-eight hours to subdue the uprising and regain control of the institution. Such an omission leaves out individual or small groups involved in violent acts such as fighting another inmate or assaulting correctional staff, which may provide great insight into this area of research.

The American Correctional Association, in Preventing and Managing Riots and Disturbances, suggested that there were three categories of violence and disorder that may occur within a correctional institution. These are (1) an incident, (2) a disturbance, and (3) a riot (1996: 17).

A riot occurs when a significant number of inmates control a significant portion of the facility for a significant period of time. A disturbance is a step down from a riot; there are fewer inmates involved, and there is no control of any portion of the facility by inmates. An incident is a step down from a disturbance; one or a few inmates are involved, and there is no control of any portion of the facility for any period of time by an inmate.

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